Call drops: Telecom minister conducts drive tests in Indore

NEW DELHI: In order to check telecom network quality and improvement in call drop problem, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today himself conducted drive tests in Indore.

Prasad, along with BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava, moved in the city for about an hour with laptop and other equipment to check the network quality.

"The exercise is designed to convey a message to the entire Department that I can do it personally to see it for myself the condition. Even the CMD was there with me, for about an hour, I moved in the main city ... the whole idea is to ensure greater connectivity, professionalism and monitoring. Naturally when the Minister and the CMD are doing, it sends a message down below," Prasad told PTI.

The Minister said in the main city, the network quality was remarkably good.

Asked if such kind of drive tests will also be conducted in Delhi, Mumbai and other metro cities, the Minister said, "I have already told CMD of MTNL and other chief general managers in respective BSNL areas that you must also visit the entire field and personally see how the network is working."

Shrivastava said BSNL will put up 200 more mobile towers in Indore city and its outskirts to improve call quality. "The network in the main city was good but in the outskirts, a need was felt to put up more towers, so we will be adding 200 towers," Shrivastava said.

Prasad had earlier said that call drops are coming down and operators are putting up more tower sites. The Minister last month said a total of 29,000 new telecom towers were installed by private telecom operators across the country after government took strong exception to the problem of call drops. Operators have also said that they have taken steps to rein in call drops.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had also conducted drive tests in seven cities from December 21 to January 8 and is likely to publish the results soon.

The cities where tests were conducted include Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Kolkata, Pune, Bhubaneswar and Indore. Drive tests are conducted to assess coverage and quality of service of mobile networks